There is a hard truth about life: going through challenges – successfully – elevates us. We all wish we did not have the challenge and could just get elevated. But that is not how life generally works. Years ago, I worked with a member of one of America’s wealthiest and most prominent families. He […]
Read MoreDo we have a mental health emergency among today’s youth? The Surgeon General just said so. And, this is one of those rare areas that is not a partisan issue. A few years ago, I saw one of my college classmates who lives in a different part of Connecticut last year around this time. His […]
Read MoreUS News & World Report, the arbiter of all rankings(!), released a report on the best states. Connecticut came in 4th for education. But for towns along Shoreline-Southeastern, CT as well as Fairfield County Connecticut, Connecticut is really number 1 for education. Our suburban population’s statistics are disproportionately affected by Connecticut’s cities which, unfortunately, are […]
Read MoreDue to Covid, you have been around your teen far more than most parents have been with their teens in the past. This is either a very good or very bad thing! Or both. One thing I know for sure: college planning has been limited. Something about a global pandemic that prevents people from planning […]
Read MoreLiving on the Connecticut shoreline, particularly in a small town like Old Saybrook, leads to running into former students frequently. One of the more common comments from past students has been that they used the framework of growth from our SAT class and applied it elsewhere. Recently, Liam, an old student from neighboring Old Lyme, […]
Read MoreNortheastern snobbery alert… We live in a “smart” state. College admissions are national. The SAT is a national test. Why would students in a state that is normally in the top 5 in every educational measure – with our leafy Connecticut suburbs being dragged down by our underperforming cities – not want a national test? […]
Read MoreWith PSAT results coming in, it is time to raise test scores When PSAT results arrive this week for Connecticut high school juniors, college kick-off season has begun. Why? Because as a recent parent of a student from Guilford High School said: “it just got real.” As much as you parents discuss college with their […]
Read MoreEven things that are not fun seem far better if “normalcy” is coming post-Covid. It turns out that “not-striving” is not good for mental health. Those in their teens do best when striving and building. Today, the PSATs came back for Connecticut students and parents are contacting The Learning Consultants related to test prep. The […]
Read MoreCovid has created massive learning gaps. Despite what seems to be collective misgivings about what is taught in school, there is no doubt that the fundamentals (the three Rs reading, writing. aRithmetic) do matter. Perhaps the biggest misconceptions propagated by those who do not understand the SAT (or ACT) is that the test can be […]
Read MoreAnxiety has become epidemic. Even pre-Covid, the number of students (and parents) with diagnosed anxiety had sky-rocketed. The pandemic did not create but merely exacerbated the anxiety trend. Having worked with Connecticut high school students for the past 2o years, I have noticed a significant uptick in the number of students with anxiety related to […]
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